Tobacco industry supports ban on smoking in vehicles with children

The Tobacco Industry Advisory Council (TIAC) has come out in full support of the  ban on smoking in vehicles where children are present.

Finance minister Edward Scicluna announced that a ban on smoking in cars with passengers under 18 years of age will take effect as of January 2017, in contribution to the health ministry’s fight against cancer.

TIAC said that it believed that smoking in cars with minors creates dangers that need to be addressed. “In this context, the reported initiative by the Ministry of Health, to establish a ban on smoking in vehicles where children are present, is fully supported by the Council,” the company said.

The council added that it is in full agreement with the Government’s Youth Smoking Prevention programmes. “These reflect the over-riding belief that the choice of whether to smoke or not is one to be made by adults freely and without imposition,” it said. “The Tobacco Industry Advisory Council believes that an ongoing cooperation with the appropriate health authorities can ensure an orderly management of the market.”